Setting the Scene... The Sacred Heart
Pioneers hit the road to Western Pennsylvania this weekend to take
on the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash in Northeast Conference
action. The Pioneers are looking to shake off a tough 35-31
loss to Robert Morris at home last week in search of their first
league win of 2010. After taking a 31-28 lead with 59 second
left, SHU couldn't hold on as the Colonials scored with just 17
ticks to go to steal the win. The Red Flash are searching for
their first win after suffering losses to Liberty and Morehead
State in weeks one and two. Today's game is being broadcast
live on TV. Calling all the action for Northeast Conference
TV is Paul Dottino and Steve Levy.

The Sacred Heart - Saint Francis Series...
Sacred Heart leads the all-time series, 9-5. The
Pioneers have won two-straight in the series heading into this
weekend's match-up, winning 41-24 on the road in 2008 and 29-7 at
home last fall. The Pioneers and Red Flash met for the first
time during the 1993 season and again in 1994 but wouldn't meet
again until 1998 when the Pioneers joined the NEC. The
Pioneers own a pair of shutouts in the series in 2000 (20-0) and
2001 (54-0). Sacred Heart is 4-3 in the series at home and
5-2 on the road in Loretto, Pa.

SHU in the NEC... The Pioneers begin
their 13th season of play in the Northeast Conference this
fall. SHU holds a 37-49 record in NEC competition since
joining the league in 1998. The Pioneers won their only
league championship during the 2001 campaign, finishing a perfect
8-0. SHU finished second to Robert Morris in 2000, going 7-1
in the league. The Pioneers are coming off a seventh place
finish in 2009 with a 2-6 conference mark.

Up Next... Sacred Heart remains on the road
next weekend as they make program history facing their first
opponent from the Ivy League. The Pioneers will head to
Dartmouth College to take on the Big Green next Saturday at 1:30
pm.

The Head Coaches... Sacred Heart head
coach Paul Gorham (New Hampshire '84) is in his
seventh season on the Pioneer sideline. Gorham was named the
school's seventh head coach in June of 2004 and owns a 26-39 record
in his seven year career. Prior to becoming the Pioneer's
head coach, Gorham had stops at UMass, Brown, New Haven and his
alma mater New Hampshire. Saint Francis (PA) head coach
Chris Villarrial (Indiana University of Pennsylvania
'96) is in his first season on the Red Flash sidelines
after being named the program's 25th head coach. Villarrial
spent 11 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the
Chicago Bears (1996-2004) and Buffalo Bills (2004-06).
Villarrial was the offensive coordinator under predecessor Dave
Opfar in 2009.

Last Meeting with Saint Francis (PA)...
Sacred Heart senior Brian Friedman pounded his way to a career-high
134 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Pioneers past
Saint Francis (PA), 29-7 last fall on Campus Field. Friedman led a
SHU attack that piled up 206 yards on the ground en route to
snapping a four-game slide and notching their first win of
2009. The Pioneer defense held the Red Flash to just
180 yards of total offense, including minus three yards on the
ground. Senior linebacker Chansler Davis led the way with nine
tackles, three for losses including a pair of sacks in the win. SHU
dropped Red Flash quarterback John Kelly four
times on the afternoon and held their offense to just three of 16
on third down. The Red Flash served up the first points of
the day on their first possession. After a three-and-out, the team
lined up to punt but the snap sailed over punter Grant Price's
reach and out of the end zone, resulting in a 31-yard loss and a
Pioneer safety. SHU added to the lead on their second possession of
the day as quarterback Dale Fink finished
off a six-play drive by hitting senior Steve Tedesco in the left
corner of the end zone on second and goal from eight yards
out. Sacred Heart's running attack took over in the second
quarter as Friedman and Garry Coles tacked
on a pair of long touchdown runs to give the Pioneers a 22-0
lead. The second half turned into a battle of both team's
defenses before SHU put the game away with an 11-play drive that
ended with Friedman barreling in from three-yards out for a 29-7
lead with 8:33 left. The SHU defense capped off the win with a
goal-line stand on the next Red Flash possession, as Davis notched
his second sack on first and goal to set the tone.

Last Time Out... Sacred Heart r-senior
quarterback Dale Fink connected with r-sophomore Sean Kessler on a
47-yard touchdown with 1:07 left to give the Pioneers a 31-28 lead
but Robert Morris answered back with a score in the waning seconds
to steal away a 35-31 last Saturday on Campus Field. Colonial
quarterback Jeff Sinclair hooked-up with tight end Shadrae King for
six to cap a five-play, 60 yard drive with just 17 seconds left to
snatch a win from the jaws of defeat in the Northeast Conference
opener for both clubs. The Pioneers had a 24-14 lead at the
end of the third but the Colonials put 21 points on the scoreboard
in the fourth quarter en route to the comeback. SHU struggled
running the ball, gaining just 10 yards on 22 carries. SHU's
Fink completed 27-of-41 passes for 324 yards, four scores with a
pick but was sacked five times in the loss. RMU's King hauled
in eight balls for 133 yards and three scores while Myles Russ ran
the ball 24 times for 116 yards and a pair of scores. The
Colonials piled up 415 yards of total offense. Sinclair
completed 14 of 28 passes for 250 yards, three scores and an
interception. The Pioneers got a solid defensive day from
linebacker Chris Mandas who
posted seven tackles, a sack and an interception. Running
back Marcel
Archer had a net of just 39 yards rushing on 14 carries but saw
two of his four catches in the game go for scores. Junior
wide out Rich
Rossi posted his first career 100-yard receiving day, hauling
in a career-best nine passes for 108 yards and his first score of
2010.

TV Time... The Sacred Heart Pioneers will help
kickoff the 2010 Northeast Conference Football Television package
when they travel out to Loretto, PA to face the Saint Francis (PA)
Red Flash. The Pioneers and Red Flash are game one of a five
game television package this fall. The five game package is
the largest in league history.

Fast Start for Fink... R-Senior
quarterback Dale Fink is off to a fast start to the 2010
season. Fink is completing 71.0% of his passes (49-69) for
553 yards through two games. Fink is coming off a 324 yard,
four touchdown performance against Robert Morris last week.
His 324 yards is the second highest game total by a Pioneer in
school history. Fink holds the record at 373 yards against
Monmouth last season.

Spreading the Love... The SHU passing game has
been all about spreading the football around this season with 12
different Pioneers catching at least one pass. As a team,
Pioneer receivers are averaging 11.1 yards per catch. The
receiving corps is led by junior rich Rossi and r-senior Mark Uyeno who have
hauled in 12 and 11 balls each, respectively. SHU running
back Marcel Archer caught a pair of touchdowns in the loss to
Robert Morris. Quarterback Dale Fink has even gotten into the
act, catching a swing pass from freshman Greg Moore
on a trick play against RMU.

Rossi's Career Outing... Junior wide
receiver / tight end Rich Rossi hauled in nine passes for 108
yards, both career-best marks and a score in the loss to Robert
Morris. Rossi's six-yard score was his first this
season. Rossi ranks second in the NEC in receiving yards per
game (82.0) and third in receptions per game (6.00).

NEC Leading Arial Attack... The Pioneers
have the Northeast Conference's top-passing attack behind four-year
starter Dale Fink. SHU is averaging 277.5 yards per game
through the air in the early going. Fink is throwing for an
average of 276.5 yards per game, tops in the NEC. SHU is
averaging a league-best 7.9 yards per pass play.

SHU's Sack Master... Senior outside linebacker
Bill
O'Brien returned to the line-up this season after missing all
of 2009 with an injury. O'Brien has made his presence felt
early on with a sack in each of the Pioneers first two games.
O'Brien was an All-NEC pick in 2008 after posting 61 tackles and
three sacks. For his career, the senior end has seven sacks
on his ledger.

Trading a Soccer Ball for a Football...
Graduate student Jesper
Fredriksson has taken over the place kicking duties full-time
this season after a standout playing career on the SHU men's soccer
team. Fredriksson joined the team at the end of last season
and handled the kick-off duties for the Pioneers. Fredriksson
took 10 kickoffs in 2009 averaging 57.1 yards per kick with a pair
of touchbacks. This season, he has assumed all kicking duties
and has yet to miss his mark. Fredriksson has nailed all
eight of his extra point attempts and buried a 46-yarder against
Robert Morris, the second longest field goal in school
history. His booming kick cleared the cross bar with plenty
to spare, falling just a yard short of the school record set by Lou
Monaco in 1996 against Stony Brook. Fredriksson has averaged
59.5 yards on his kickoffs with a touchback. In his four
years on the soccer pitch, Fredriksson appeared in 62 games scoring
12 goals, four assists and 28 points.

Playmaker in the middle... Junior
linebacker Chris Mandas ranks 10th in the NEC in tackles per game
(8.0), tied with teammate Justin Embler and
Alex DiMichele of Robert Morris). The junior inside backer
has become one of the Pioneers defensive leaders, showing a knack
for making big plays. Mandas has a sack, a pair of pass
break-ups and an interception in his first two games of 2010.